Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Astor of Hever on 4 November (WA 427), why the number of GR4 aircraft was increased to 10 in August 2010 if their flying hours per airframe were considered to be satisfactory compared to the GR9.

Lord Astor of Hever: An additional two GR4 aircraft deployed on Operation Herrick following a request by the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, General David Petraeus, for an increase in air support to provide greater protection to ground forces. The aircraft joined the eight RAF Tornado GR4s already provided to support the multinational pool and have boosted flying hours by 25 per cent, or an extra 130 flying hours per month.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average reaction time to urgent close air support requests from ground forces in Afghanistan of (a) Tornado GR4 aircraft, and (b) Harrier GR9 aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Harrier GR9 aircraft are (a) in service in any capacity, and (b) deployed, or ready to be deployed, for Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: For the number of aircraft in service I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 9 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 47). No Harriers are currently deployed in Afghanistan; for information on readiness for deployment I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 4 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 427).

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the acquisition costs of the Sentinel airborne ground surveillance aircraft system; what are its annual running costs when (a) on operations, and (b) UK-based; and what financial penalties in respect of long-term support by contractors will be incurred as a result of its withdrawal from service.

Lord Astor of Hever: The acquisition cost of the Sentinel airborne stand-off radar system was approximately £1.1 billion. The estimated annual logistic support costs that can directly be attributed to Sentinel while deployed on operations are £38.5 million and £33 million when based in the United Kingdom. In addition, there are other support costs for all RAF aircraft which are not specifically attributable to the Sentinel.
	The Sentinel system has a support contract with Raytheon Systems Limited until September 2016. The contract includes a number of conditions that allow for early termination. Any costs associated with the implementation of these conditions as a result of the strategic defence and security review will be negotiated with the contractor at the time of termination.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any part of the Sentinel airborne ground surveillance system can be used in the proposed Rivet Joint system.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Sentinel airborne stand-off radar system plays an important role in supporting our operations in Afghanistan. It is too early to say whether, when that system is eventually retired from service, any parts may be utilised in other defence systems.

Armed Forces: Seriously Injured Personnel

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current survival rates for Armed Forces personnel suffering severe physical injuries; and how this compares with the equivalent figure from the first Gulf War.

Lord Astor of Hever: Severe physical injuries are defined in the internationally accepted definition of major trauma as those with an injury severity score (ISS) greater than 15.
	The following table presents the number and percentages of injured UK service personnel assessed with an ISS score greater than 15 resulting from service in Afghanistan or Iraq between 1 January 2003 and 14 October 2010. Personnel killed in action (KIA), where death occurred instantly or in a matter of minutes after injury before medical assistance was possible, are excluded from the numbers presented.
	
		
			 Table 1: Afghanistan and Iraq UK Service1 injured including deaths with an ISS greater than 15, 1 January 2003 to 14 October 2010, numbers and percentages 
			Year 
			 Operation Category All 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Afghanistan % Survival 80% -  - 49% 83% 91% 85% 80% 
			  Survived (n) 269 0 0 0 18 34 29 100 88 
			  Died excluding KIA (n) 68 0 0 0 19 7 3 17 22 
			 Iraq % Survival 54% 25% 43% 80% 65% 56% 50% 0% - 
			  Survived (n) 64 3 9 8 15 27 2 0 0 
			  Died excluding KIA (n) 55 9 12 2 8 21 2 1 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for tri-service regular and reservist personnel.
	Since 2003 there are 23 UK survivors with an ISS of greater than 60 which is defined as an unsalvageable casualty.
	Information on severe physical injuries sustained during the first Gulf War is not held in the required format and could be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Staff

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the succession plan for the Chief of Defence Materiel; and in what salary range the successor will be appointed.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence is currently running a full, open competition, chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner from which we expect to identify the successor to General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue as Chief of Defence Materiel. The role is graded as a Permanent Secretary-level appointment and the salary for the successful individual will therefore fall within the relevant pay range of £139,740 to £273,250.

Arms Export Controls

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to persuade all European Union member states to publish annual reports on arms export controls.

Lord Howell of Guildford: All EU member states are under an obligation to include transparency measures in their arms export control frameworks, to publish a national report on arms export controls, and to contribute to an annual EU report on arms export controls.
	The UK works with other member states through the EU Council working group on conventional arms exports to ensure best common practice on arms export controls across the EU, and share best UK practice.

Bangladesh

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the government of Bangladesh whether they will allow foreign experts on the law of war crimes to attend the forthcoming trials as observers, or as counsel for the defendants.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have no current plans to ask the Government of Bangladesh specifically whether they will allow foreign experts on the law of war crimes to attend the forthcoming trials as observers or as counsel of the defendants. However, we continue to call on the Government of Bangladesh to ensure that their war crimes trials are dealt with according to international standards. Such standards could include attendance by foreign experts.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the assessment of Charlie Bean, the deputy governor of the Bank of England, that United Kingdom citizens are currently saving too much; and what assessment they have made of whether banks will be able to end their reliance on Bank of England support without an increase in deposits placed with the commercial banking system.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have noted the comment made by the deputy governor of the Bank of England.
	Deposits play an important role in contributing to the funding of the UK banking sector. Banks' plans for funding themselves over the medium term, as the exceptional support extended during the crisis is withdrawn, will include assumptions of their ability to attract deposits. It is the responsibility of each individual institution to make prudent plans for its future business strategy that take account of the ending of exceptional support, including managing risks associated with specific funding sources.

Banking

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 19 October (WA 136) on the provision of mortgages of 90 per cent or more to first-time buyers of property, what assurances they have had that Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland plc are honouring the lending commitments made in February 2009; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 29 October (WA 136) on the provision of mortgages of 90 per cent or more to first-time buyers of property, whether they have reached an agreement with Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland plc about lending in the period after February 2011.

Lord Sassoon: In February 2009, as a condition of accessing the asset protection scheme, Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) agreed to lending commitments with the Government for a two-year period starting from March 2009. The Government continue to analyse information provided by LBG and RBS to ensure that all aspects of the commitments are met.
	LBG and RBS report on a monthly basis to the Government on performance against their lending commitments. As reported in the March 2010 Budget, LBG and RBS exceeded their mortgage lending targets in the first year of the lending commitments.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Sassoon on 1 November (HL Deb, col 1418), with which parties they are in negotiations on the taxation of banks and bankers; when and where the negotiations are taking place; and when the conclusion of those negotiations will be announced.

Lord Sassoon: As announced in the June Budget, the Government are working with international partners to explore the costs and benefits of a financial activities tax. The October European Council noted that the different options regarding the taxation of the financial sector should be examined. The European Commission also published a communication in October on the taxation of the financial sector and is also examining the potential for financial activities taxes.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned any research on or considered the impact of "easy money" on asset prices and currency valuation; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury or the Bank of England monitor the risk of bubbles in asset class valuations.

Lord Sassoon: The Government regularly take into account a wide range of factors in their assessment of the economy. The Bank of England's financial stability reports (FSRs) continue to monitor the whole range of risks to the UK's financial system. The Government have announced the interim financial policy committee at the Bank of England will be created this autumn. It will be responsible for producing FSRs in the future.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place the full contract, including the performance criteria for the payment or vesting of bonuses, for the new chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group in the Library of the House.

Lord Sassoon: The Government's policy is that the banks in which the Government are a shareholder, including Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), should follow the disclosure requirements for companies listed on the Stock Exchange, including the UK corporate governance code and directors' remuneration report regulations.
	However, LBG announced on 3 November that part of the bonus for their new chief executive, António Horta-Osório, will be linked to expanding LBG's SME lending portfolio.

Banking: Levy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the burden of the proposed banks levy will fall more heavily on high street banks than investment banks.

Lord Sassoon: The bank levy has been designed to target short-term, and therefore riskier, funding, which contributed to serious liquidity problems that played a key role in the financial crisis. The levy does not fall on insured customer deposits and only applies at half-rate to uninsured customer deposits (except for those from financial institutions) and longer-maturity funding (i.e. over one year remaining to maturity).
	The burden of the levy will therefore fall proportionately more on banks that rely on short-term wholesale funding relative to those predominantly funded by retail deposits and long-term funds.

Belize

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the military base in Belize following the strategic defence review.

Lord Astor of Hever: While the futures of a number of UK Army bases around the world were clarified within the strategic defence and security review, the future of the British Army training support unit (BATSUB) was not specifically mentioned. We can confirm that the Ministry of Defence intends to retain BATSUB within Price barracks and that BATSUB will continue to support training in Belize. Like much of the remainder of the Army, however, BATSUB will be subject to a number of changes over the next few years. This will be done in full consultation with the Belizean authorities.

Benefits

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether workers will have to work longer hours under the proposed universal benefit system.

Lord Freud: The Government believe that work is the best route out of poverty and that we need to do more to make work pay. The announcement of a universal credit is the first step in making sure that work pays and that we better target financial support towards those most in need.
	Universal credit will improve incentives to work (especially for low earners) by a combination of earnings disregards and a single withdrawal rate to reduce the credit when earnings exceed the disregard. This will make the benefits of work clearer and simpler: encouraging people to move into work and see the financial benefits of increasing the number of hours they work.
	A person receiving universal credit who is able to work will be required under the conditionality regime to seek work until their earnings or hours of work have reached a given threshold. Initially, we intend to set a threshold which broadly equates to that which applies under the current benefit system. Once universal credit is established, however, we will be able to vary that threshold such that some people are required to work longer hours, or earn more, than under current arrangements, reflecting a greater degree of individualisation that is possible under universal credit.

Chagos Islands

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Chagos Islands have been used for rendition flights.

Lord Howell of Guildford: In February 2008, the US informed us that, contrary to earlier explicit assurances that Diego Garcia had not been used for rendition flights, there had in fact been two cases in January and September 2002 in which flights carrying a detainee had landed and refuelled on the island. It is regrettable that the new information on the two renditions only came to light in February 2008. The United States Government confirmed that, with the exception of two cases related to Diego Garcia in 2002, there have been no other instances in which US intelligence flights landed in the United Kingdom, our overseas territories, or the Crown Dependencies, with a detainee on board since 11 September 2001.
	The right honourable David Miliband, then Foreign Secretary, made a Statement to Parliament on 21 February 2008 and a further Written Statement on 3 July 2008 following the receipt of renewed assurances from the US in June.

Common Fisheries Policy

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek stronger mandatory control mechanisms in the revised European Union Common Fisheries Policy framework.

Lord Henley: Council Regulation 1224/2009 establishes a new control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy (CFP). The regulation was the subject of extensive discussion before its adoption, and by strengthening the controls in the previous system it is designed to provide a sound and effective control framework for the foreseeable future.
	The Government are also seeking improvements to the way European fisheries are managed under a reformed CFP.

Dunfermline Building Society

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 27 October (WA 284), whether they will summarise the salient points of the six-monthly reports of the joint administrators of the Dunfermline Building Society referred to in that answer, given that these no longer appear on the KPMG website.

Lord Sassoon: All three six-monthly reports continue to be available for download from the KPMG website.
	The first six-monthly report is available at: http://www.kpmg.co.uk/pubs/ DBS_lst_progress_report2OO9.pdf. The second six-monthly report is available at: http://rd.kpmg.co.uk/docs/DBS_2nd_progress_report_21_April.pdf. The third six-monthly report is available at: http://rd.kpmg.co.uk/docs/Dunfermline_doc.pdf.
	Alternatively, hard copies of all three reports can be requested from KPMG. Requests should be directed to:
	Dunfermline Building Society (in building society special administration)
	C/O KPMG LLP
	191 West George Street
	Glasgow
	G2 2LJ.

Economy: Growth

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of cuts in public expenditure on the United Kingdom's short-term economic growth.

Lord Sassoon: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. Other independent forecasters agree with the OBR's assessment in their June Budget forecast that the Government's fiscal consolidation is consistent with continued economic growth over the short and medium term.
	The Chancellor has asked the OBR to publish a new forecast on 29 November.

Economy: Growth

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the global economic recovery on the United Kingdom's economic growth.

Lord Sassoon: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The Chancellor has asked the OBR to publish a new forecast on 29 November. This forecast will incorporate the OBR's assessment of the effect of the global economic recovery on economic growth in the United Kingdom.

Economy: Quantitative Easing

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to commission an independent report evaluating the economic consequences of quantitative easing.

Lord Sassoon: The Government do not have any current plans to commission an independent report on quantitative easing. The UK's monetary policy framework, under which the Monetary Policy Committee has operational responsibility, is accountable and transparent, including to Parliament through Treasury Select Committee hearings on the Bank of England's inflation reports. Information and data on quantitative easing are available on the Bank of England website for independent analysis. Organisations such as the International Monetary Fund have welcomed,
	"the prudent setup of the Asset Purchase Facility".

Economy: Quantitative Easing

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a decision by the Monetary Policy Committee in favour of a further programme of quantitative easing would require the prior approval of HM Treasury; and, if so, whether HM Treasury could specify the type of assets eligible for purchase under this programme extension.

Lord Sassoon: As explained before [HL2411], the framework for the asset purchase facility requires the Chancellor to authorise the overall limit on asset purchases.
	As the HM Treasury departmental minute on 24 March 2010 made clear, the maximum amount of private sector asset purchases that may be made under this facility remains at £50 billion, in line with the then Chancellor's letter of 29 January 2009.
	In his letter of 3 March 2009 to the Governor, the then Chancellor stated that,
	"to the extent that the committee chooses to purchase private sector assets, the choice of assets should be delegated to the Bank executive. In making that judgement, the Bank executive should be guided by an assessment of which transactions would be most likely to restore the flow of finance to corporate borrowers, as well as contributing to the committee's wider monetary policy objectives".

Employment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated amount of public expenditure being deployed specifically as investment to generate employment growth in the private sector.

Lord Sassoon: No such estimate has been made. The spending review sets out the Government's approach to supporting economic growth through decisions on public spending allocations, including by prioritising capital spending on economic infrastructure which will underpin long-term private sector growth.

EU: Budget

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the letter signed by 11 nation states expressing their opinion that any increase to the European Union budget for 2011 beyond 2.9 per cent was not acceptable has any legal force; and whether they will pay any increase beyond that figure.

Lord Sassoon: The letter signed by 13 European Union (EU) Heads of State or Government on 29 October makes clear that they will not accept any increase in the 2011 EU budget beyond 2.91 per cent. The letter is not legally binding; its force is practical.
	At Budget ECOFIN and the Conciliation Committee on 11 and 15 November, all member states were clear that there could be no increase beyond this. The European Parliament said it was prepared in principle to accept this figure, while also demanding text on an increased role for the European Parliament in discussions of the next financial framework and the EU's own resources, as well as a provision for flexibility to increase spending in the EU budget in future years.
	The Government were not prepared to accept these conditions for agreement to the 2011 budget. A number of member states expressed similar concerns. The European Parliament was not prepared to agree the 2011 budget in these circumstances, and ended negotiations.
	The Government strongly believe that there was prospect for agreement on the 2011 budget at these meetings. Both the Council and the European Parliament said they could have accepted a budget increase of 2.91 per cent in 2011 compared to 2010 levels. The Government will continue to engage constructively in further negotiations aimed at securing agreement on the 2011 EU budget.

Fishing: Salmon Farming

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to representations from private anglers' organisations about the adverse effects of salmon farming practices.

Lord Henley: I am not aware of any specific representations. In addition, the vast majority of the farming of salmon in the UK takes place in Scotland. As responsibility for aquaculture is a devolved matter, I am not in a position to comment on issues relating to fish farms in Scotland.
	There is no farming of adult (post-smolt) salmon in England and Wales. There is a small number of sites in England that rear smolts for on-growing in Scottish farms, but these are in secure recirculation units or secure tank systems. Operators of fish farms in England and Wales are required to ensure that screens are in place to prevent the entrainment of migratory salmonids into fish farms and the egress of farmed fish from the farms.
	The Environment Agency regularly inspects fish farm sites, and escapee numbers are assessed in routine juvenile salmonid monitoring programmes. In addition, the Environment Agency regulates effluent discharges to ensure that environmental quality standards are met in any receiving water.

Fishing: Stock

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to meet the European Union Green Paper's target for maximum sustainable yield on fishing stock maintenance by 2015.

Lord Henley: For the first time this year the European Union's scientific advisers, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, provided advice on achieving maximum sustainable yield for EU fish stocks by 2015, in line with the World Summit on Sustainable Development objective.
	The Government are committed to meeting this objective and are working with the European Commission and other member states to best implement reductions in fishing mortality in a gradual fashion, based on the best available science, in order to restore depleted fish stocks, while maintaining the viability of the EU's fishing industry.

Flooding

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in answering all questions on mapping data relating to flood plains, "mapping data" will be interpreted as including high-resolution height data for flood plains in Cumbria; and whether, in light of this, they will review the Written Answer by Lord Henley of 3 November (WA 414).

Lord Henley: The Environment Agency does not routinely provide high-resolution height data because it is not needed to understand the flood maps which are available on the Environment Agency's website. The preparation of the maps incorporates the necessary analysis of topographical data.
	Where the Environment Agency is asked for information, it will consider each request, checking compliance with relevant legislation and any confidentialities.
	If the Environment Agency has contracted work to third parties or is collaborating in a project, it normally supplies height data as part of its contribution.

Food and Drink: Exports

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they next expect to meet representatives of the Food and Drink Federation to discuss possible future increases in exports in the sector.

Lord Henley: My ministerial colleagues and I regularly meet representatives from the Food and Drink Federation and others in the food supply chain. We discuss a range of issues including ways to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of the sector.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 9 November (WA 54-5), why HM Revenue and Customs (steps) purchases only 14 per cent United Kingdom pork and no British bacon.

Lord Sassoon: All HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff restaurants are outsourced to third-party providers. The service providers are responsible for food procurement with no subsidy from HMRC. The suppliers to HMRC's service providers are all British Retail Consortium suppliers. Meat products are sourced from British and European suppliers to ensure cost and quality requirements are achieved.

Food: Pork and Bacon

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 9 November (WA 54-5), why the Ministry of Justice purchases only 4 per cent British bacon; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 9 November (WA 54-5), why the Ministry of Justice National Offender Management Service purchases only 18 per cent British pork and no British bacon; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 9 November (WA 54-5), why private prisons purchase only 38 per cent British pork and 28 per cent British bacon.

Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice (which includes the National Offender Management Service) is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider options for introducing government buying standards (GBS) for food. This is intended to encourage the public sector to procure food in a manner that promotes sustainable development and does not discriminate against local and UK suppliers.
	The department and its contractors continue to look for opportunities to enable domestic producers to compete for supply contracts while seeking to achieve value for money for the taxpayer and for those using the services provided. For example, 46 per cent of all beef products and 65 per cent of mutton and lamb products purchased by NOMS are UK-reared.
	All products supplied to the MoJ must comply with all current and subsequent relevant UK and EU legislation, regulations and directives. The suppliers are required to provide products that are sourced in compliance with EC regulations and from assured providers under animal welfare conditions that are compatible with the UK animal welfare regulations. There are several reasons that the ministry, in particular NOMS does purchase products from overseas.
	First, EU rules require suppliers to meet a specification, and so long as this is met, the authority cannot stipulate where goods are purchased as this conflicts with one of the EU's stated purposes which is to ensure the free movement of goods between member states under normal conditions of competition.
	Secondly, the suppliers to NOMS Prison Service (for which there is the highest value of food spend within the ministry) source from a variety of countries to ensure consistent supply that complies with specifications, switching between these suppliers to ensure that goods are supplied in a cost-effective manner.
	Thirdly the domestic market does not always produce the required volume to the specification required. Bacon in the UK is primarily chilled and supplied to supermarkets. NOMS engaged in a costing exercise to understand the cost differential between UK-sourced bacon compared to the current product purchased in the volumes required to meet our demand. NOMS determined that the additional cost to the taxpayer would be in the region of £245,000 per annum which is a 57 per cent increase in costs.
	The MoJ is committed to ensuring food procured meets British standards of production or their equivalent, wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs. The department is working closely with the supply base further to increase the volume of home-grown food used within prisons when compliant with specifications and within budget.
	MoJ does not hold information on the procurement arrangements for private prisons. A request for this information will need to be made directly with Defra to confirm where the information originated and contact made directly with the source.

FTSE-100: Staff

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many FTSE 100 chief executives pay full income tax to HM Revenue and Customs; and how many have special exemption arrangements to minimise their income tax obligations.

Lord Sassoon: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the foreign minister of Germany in his call for the ending of the blockade of Gaza and, in particular, for a resumption of exports.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in Gaza with Prime Minister Netanyahu during his recent visit. He welcomed the steps Israel has taken to improve access but underlined the need for further measures to secure change on the ground, including speeding up of imports for UN-led reconstruction, particularly schools. Like Germany, the UK also wants to see steps to resume exports and rebuild the Gazan economy. We will continue to call for this, working with our EU and other partners.

Government Departments: Photographers

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what use they make of public funds to employ photographers or film makers exclusively or primarily to cover Ministers' activities; and which Ministers benefit from this service.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: This information is not collected centrally.

Government Departments: Salaries

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated net saving in the pay bill of the Home Office for each of the next four years if no bonuses are paid and all salaries and increments are frozen.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Our staffing and pay plans for the next four years cannot be detailed until after decisions following the spending review are concluded.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff have been employed on temporary or short-term contracts since 12 May to support (a) the Prime Minister, and (b) the Deputy Prime Minister; what are the names of those employed; at what grade and what level of remuneration they were employed; and what selection criteria were used to determine their suitability for the post.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I refer the noble Lord to the letter from Sir Gus O'Donnell to the honourable Member for Barnsley East (Mr Michael Dugher) dated 10 November 2010. A copy of the letter is available in the Library.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff have been employed on temporary or short-term contracts since 12 May to support the Secretary of State for Scotland; what are the names of those employed; at what grade and what level of remuneration they were employed; and what selection criteria were used to determine their suitability for the post.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All its staff are on secondment from other public bodies, mainly the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. On occasion, the office may appoint staff from a recruitment agency to cover short-term vacancies or time-limited projects.
	Since 12 May 2010, two members of staff have been appointed on a fixed-term basis and two have been recruited on a temporary basis, all at band D level under Ministry of Justice appointment and selection procedures. As these appointments were all made below SCS level, it is contrary to normal practice to disclose their names.
	Information relevant to the organisational structure and pay scales is contained in the Scotland Office organogram, available on the Scotland Office website via the following link: http: //www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/scotlandoffice/14464.html

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff have been employed on temporary or short-term contracts since 12 May to support the Chancellor of the Exchequer; what are the names of those employed; at what grade and what level of remuneration they were employed; and what selection criteria were used to determine their suitability for the post.

Lord Sassoon: No staff have been employed on temporary or short-term contracts to support the Chancellor of the Exchequer since 12 May 2010.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of all unpaid advisers to Ministers in the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Lord Marland: There are no unpaid advisers to Ministers in the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Government: Big Society

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that charities attract donations sufficient for the implementation of the Big Society.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government are exploring new ways to encourage giving, with further announcements to be made in the new year.
	The debate around the big society is to encourage individuals and organisations to think about the contribution they might make now and how that might change.

Iceland

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 2 November (WA 388), whether United Kingdom support for Iceland's application for membership of the European Union is conditional on reaching agreement with Iceland on repayment of its debt to the United Kingdom.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We fully support Iceland's EU application. Iceland, like other candidates, must meet the membership criteria. We are committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with Iceland. We secured language in European Council conclusions to ensure Iceland's existing obligations are addressed as part of the accession process. The Commission published its Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2010-2011 report on 9 November. This report reiterates that:
	"Iceland will need to address existing obligations, such as those identified by the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority (ESA) under the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement",
	as part of its accession process and that,
	"the European Commission shares the legal analysis of ESA".
	On 25 May the EFTA Surveillance Authority issued a letter noting Iceland's failure to comply with obligations under the EU deposit guarantee directive.

Immigration: Detainees

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the alleged collusion by British intelligence agents in the abuse of detainees abroad.

Lord Howell of Guildford: On 6 July 2010 my right honourable friend the Prime Minister announced a package of measures to address allegations of UK complicity in the mistreatment of detainees held by other countries. These allegations, while unproven, are damaging and tarnish the reputation of the UK as a country that believes in human rights, justice, fairness and the rule of law. As a part of those measures, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister commissioned an independent inquiry into UK involvement in the improper treatment of detainees held overseas in order to establish the facts behind those allegations and draw a line under the issues of the past.
	My right honourable friend the Prime Minister set out the parameters of the inquiry in a letter to the inquiry chair, Sir Peter Gibson. He outlined that the focus of the inquiry should be whether, and to what extent, the UK Government and their intelligence agencies were involved in improper treatment of detainees held by other countries in counterterrorism operations overseas. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister asked that the inquiry focus in particular on the aftermath of the attacks of 11 September 2001 and particularly cases involving the detention of UK nationals and residents in Guantanamo Bay. He asked that the inquiry report back to him within one year of commencement. The inquiry is intended to reach an authoritative view on the actions of the state and security services and make proper recommendations for the future.

Independent Commission on Banking

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 1 November (WA 357) concerning the Independent Commission on Banking, why they did not require the banks to pay the costs relating to the commission.

Lord Sassoon: All commission costs are met by reprioritisation from within existing budgets and there will be no consequent increase in public spending.
	The Government are looking to ensure that banks make a full and fair contribution to reflect the potential risks they pose to the UK financial system and wider UK economy. They announced in the June Budget the introduction of a levy on bank's balance sheets to take effect from 1 January 2011.

Inflation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their monetary policy is now focused on promoting demand and economic growth rather than combating inflation.

Lord Sassoon: The Chancellor confirmed in the June Budget the Monetary Policy Committee's objective of targeting 2 per cent inflation, as measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index.

Inflation

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions over the last 60 months the reported rate of inflation has exceeded the annual target set for the Monetary Policy Committee by more than 10 per cent of that target.

Lord Sassoon: As explained in the previous Answer [HL 3578], inflation statistics can be found on the Office for National Statistics website.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of eviction or house demolition affecting Palestinians in East Jerusalem have been reported to them in 2010; and how they propose to prevent further measures to alter the balance of population in East Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: According to the UN humanitarian report, to date in 2010 (9 November), 315 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished in East Jerusalem and Area C (including 17 structures demolished by their owners following demolition orders). Four hundred and two people have been displaced and about 1,296 people have been otherwise affected.
	East Jerusalem is regarded as occupied territory under international law. We do not recognise Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem. House demolitions or the eviction of Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem are deeply unhelpful. We view any attempts to change the facts on the ground as a serious provocation likely to raise tensions, as well as being harmful to the peace process and, of course, in contravention of international law.

Justice: Neil Forbes FRCVS

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 2 November (WA 390), whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of all cases brought by local authorities heard in (a) Crown courts, (b) magistrates' courts, and (c) county courts in which Mr Neil Forbes FRCVS has given evidence for the prosecution.

Lord McNally: The information requested on prosecution witnesses (expert/professional or lay) is not held on Her Majesty's Court Service central electronic data management systems across the three jurisdictions and would require a manual search of all court files to ascertain if the individual Mr Neil Forbes FRCVS had given evidence.
	This question breaches one or more of the data protection principles within the Data Protection Act 1998.

Kenya

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to increase the number of military personnel based in Kenya.

Lord Astor of Hever: There are currently no plans to increase the number of military personnel in Kenya, except to increase the number of permanent military staff serving in the British High Commission by one in early 2011.

Macedonia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect that the European Union will give Macedonia a date for the start of accession negotiations.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We fully support the European Commission's recommendation (first made in its October 2009 progress report, and repeated in its October 2010 progress report) that negotiations for accession to the European Union should be opened with Macedonia. A date for the opening of negotiations will be given once the European Council is able to make a unanimous decision to endorse the Commission recommendation.

Marine Mapping

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made by public and private sector marine mapping initiatives for seabed contouring following the Dorset Wildlife Trust results in summer 2010.

Lord Henley: The Dorset Wildlife Trust's marine mapping programme (DORIS) is considered to be an extremely valuable baseline mapping programme, and we are advised that there should be no additional survey work required for this area.
	Natural England has used the DORIS results, published last summer, to inform and develop revised boundary recommendations for the Studland to Portland possible special area of conservation (pSACs) following analysis of the results of a formal consultation on a package of eight pSACs and two possible special protection areas in English waters.
	Other mapping initiatives are taking place, and Defra has set up a memorandum of understanding with a range of organisations to ensure that there is greater efficiency and improved co-ordination for seabed survey data. It allows for the exchange of existing and future data between participating organisations at no cost and has established a mechanism to ensure that participating organisations' future surveys are programmed in such a way so as to avoid duplication where ever possible.

National Probation Service

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the impact will be of cuts in funding to the Probation Service in England and Wales on the delivery of domestic violence programmes; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average delay before the commencement of a domestic violence programme following the making of a supervision order by courts in England and Wales for each of the 42 probation areas during the financial year 2009-10; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what the impact will be of cuts in funding to the Probation Service in England and Wales on the delivery of general offender behaviour programmes; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average delay before the commencement of a general offender behaviour programme following the making of a supervision order by courts in England and Wales for each of the 42 probation areas during the financial year 2009-10; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what the impact will be of cuts in funding to the Probation Service in England and Wales on the delivery of sex offender programmes; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average delay before the commencement of a sex offender programme following the making of a supervision order by courts in England and Wales for each of the 42 probation areas during the financial year 2009-10.

Lord McNally: Internal resource allocations for the spending review 2010 period have not yet been decided, but we have already been clear that a large part of savings will be achieved through improvements in efficiency and cutting administration. We will also publish a Green Paper before the end of the year setting out plans to reform sentencing and rehabilitate offenders more effectively.
	Waiting times for programmes are managed locally by each probation trust and are not collated centrally. Robust data could be produced only by checking information held on offender files or on local data systems, validating it and then collating it in a common format in order to provide a response. Offenders waiting for a place on a programme are under the supervision of their offender manager who will monitor and actively manage the risk posed during the course of the supervision period.

Official Photographer

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government who owns the copyright of photographs taken by Mr Andrew Parsons in his role as an official photographer paid from public funds.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Copyright works produced by officers or servants of the Crown in the course of their duties qualify for Crown copyright protection in accordance with Section 163 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Therefore, any work produced by the Cabinet Office photographer in the course of his duties is owned by the Crown.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the savings that would result if the pension age for civil servants was increased from 60 to 61; and whether the age will be raised by one year at the same time as the recently announced accelerated one year age rise for state pensioners.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Staff joining the Civil Service on or after 30 July 2007 already have a pension age of 65. The Government have not made any estimate of the savings or costs of increasing the pension age for civil servants by one year. Any decision on the future pension age will be taken following the final report by the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.

Public Sector: Retirement

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public sector employees are expected to retire in each of the next four years.

Lord Sassoon: HM Treasury does not hold data centrally on the number of public sector employees expected to retire in each of the next four years. This is an issue for individual public service employers and their pension schemes.

Retirement Age

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the raising of the retirement age on the job market.

Lord Freud: The Government announced on 3 November 2010 that state pension age for men and women will be increased to 66 between April 2018 and April 2020, following equalisation of women's state pension age with men's in 2018.
	Details of the change are set out in the Command Paper: A sustainable State Pension: when the State Pension age will increase to 66.1 An assessment of the impact on the labour market of increasing state pension age was published in Annex C, paragraphs 42 and 60 to 63.
	The impact of the change on the labour market was considered in relation to the additional number of people in employment.2 The table below shows the estimated additional number of people working in that given year compared to the number assumed to have been working that year had state pension age not been raised to 66. The figures relate to total employment.
	
		
			 Additional number of people working (thousands) 
			 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 
			 140 170 200 230 250 260 260 240 210 170 130 
			 Note: Rounded to the nearest ten thousand. 
		
	
	1. Available to download from www.dwp.gov.uk/spa-66-review
	2. The announcement of an increase in state pension age is assumed to increase the age at which males would exit the labour market from age 55 onwards; for instance, a 66 year-old man would adopt the exit rate from the labour market currently adopted by a 65-year old. Women's exit rates are assumed to converge to men's exit rates as a result of state pension age equalisation. This modelling was done by DWP using HM Treasury's (HMT's) cohort employment model.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many senior officials have left HM Revenue and Customs to (a) work on tax matters for firms of accountants or solicitors, and (b) work in tax departments of other British businesses, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many appointments taken up by former HM Revenue and Customs officials have been (a) approved without conditions, (b) approved with a waiting period, and (c) approved with conditions, and with what conditions, in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data centrally on the number of appointments taken up by its former officials.
	The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACoBA) advises the Prime Minister on requests from senior civil servants at SCS payband 3 level and above (and their equivalents in the Diplomatic Service and Armed Forces) for permission to take up appointments when they leave Crown service.
	When doing so it takes into account the need to avoid any suspicion that the advice and decisions of a serving officer might be influenced by the hope or expectation of future employment with a particular firm or organisation, and to avoid the risk that a particular firm might gain an improper advantage over its competitors by employing someone who, in the course of their official duties, has had access to technical or other information which those competitors might legitimately regard as their own trade secrets or to information relating to proposed developments in government policy which may affect that firm or its competitors.
	HM Revenue and Customs holds data on the number of applications from senior civil servants who sought approval to take up an outside appointment for this year and the previous two years only. The numbers are as follows:
	
		
			 2010-11 (to date) 2 
			 2009-10 5 
			 2008-09 14 
		
	
	Of the 21 applications, three were subject to the condition that for 12 months from last day in post, they should not be personally involved in lobbying UK government Ministers or Crown servants, including special advisers, on behalf of a new employer, its clients or its investors.

Russia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will call for independent judicial inquiries into the attack on the journalist Mr Oleg Kashin, and into the unresolved deaths of 18 other journalists in Russia.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government continue to urge Russia to bring to justice those responsible for the unresolved murders of journalists, and specifically to seek out those responsible for the recent appalling attacks on Mr Oleg Kashin and Mr Anatoly Adamchuk.
	We welcome President Medvedev's instruction to the Russian Prosecutor General's Office and the Interior Ministry to closely supervise the investigation into the attack on Mr Kashin.
	We are deeply concerned about attacks on journalists in Russia and the low success rate in investigating and prosecuting crimes against journalists. The perception of a climate of impunity further undermines freedom of expression and human rights in Russia.
	The Government will continue to raise with Russia our concerns about assaults on journalists and the constraints on freedom of expression.

Schools: Academies

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (a) Bromley Borough Council, and (b) Kelsey Park Sports College, about the college becoming an academy.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Ministers have met and corresponded with Bromley Borough Council about Kelsey Park Sports College becoming an academy. No discussions have been held with Kelsey Park Sports College.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who will end up living below the poverty line as a result of spending review 2010.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are committed to reducing the deficit in a way that is fair and provides the appropriate support to those who need it most. The Government have no overall estimate of the impact of the spending review on the number of individuals living in poverty. However, in relation to child poverty, there is no measurable impact from all modelled spending review changes up to 2012-13.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received regarding the impact of the spending review 2010 on (a) disabled people, and (b) the number of disabled people living below the poverty line.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are committed to reducing the deficit in a way that is fair and provides the appropriate support to those who need it most. As part of the spending review, the Government received a range of representations including those concerned with disabled people and poverty. These representations were considered as part of the decisions in the spending review.
	Recognising the potential impact of the spending review on the disabled and elderly, the Government allocated an additional £2 billion per year by 2014-15 to help support social care services.
	The Government remain committed to use direct payments to carers and better community-based provision to improve access to respite care, as set out in our vision for social care published on 16 November. The Government have also made available additional funding of over £400 million over the next four years to provide respite care breaks to the hundreds of thousands of carers who work over 50 hours a week.

Sri Lanka

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals for an international independent inquiry into allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have called for an independent and credible process to examine allegations of war crimes by both sides in Sri Lanka. Both my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and I raised this with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK. Under international law, it is the primary responsibility of the state against whose forces allegations are made to investigate possible war crimes committed by its own forces.
	We have encouraged the Sri Lanka Government to ensure that their own domestic process, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, is open and transparent and works with the UN Secretary-General's panel of three experts whose remit is to advise on accountability issues.

Syria

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Syria regarding the detention of political prisoners in Syria.

Lord Howell of Guildford: My honourable friend Alastair Burt spoke to Syria's ambassador to the UK on 5 November to underline our concern about reports of an attack, while in custody, on Muhannad al-Hassani, a prominent human rights defender. In a statement, my honourable friend called on the Syrian Government to meet their international responsibilities by ending their practice of arbitrary arrests and detention and to immediately release all who have been imprisoned solely for seeking to exercise their right to peaceful freedom of expression and freedom of association.
	Our ambassador in Damascus regularly raises human rights cases with the Syrian Government at the highest levels.

Taxation: Income Tax

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 23 June (HL Deb, cols 1310-11), what steps HM Treasury have taken to identify the revenue-maximising top rate of income tax.

Lord Sassoon: The Government keep all aspects of the tax system under review, including consideration of the sustainability and revenue-raising potential of a whole range of taxes.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why travellers to and from the Turks and Caicos Islands are expected to pay air passenger duty at band C; what assessment they have made of the impact of this level of air passenger duty on tourism and business travel to and from the Turks and Caicos Islands; and whether they will reconsider this banding in light of the level of air passenger duty charged to travellers to Hawaii (band B), the Azores (band A) and the Canaries (band A).

Lord Sassoon: The Turks and Caicos Islands is in band C of air passenger duty as the banding system is based on the distance between the capital cities of destination countries and London.
	The June Budget stated that the Government will explore changes to the aviation tax system, including switching from a per-passenger to a per-plane duty. Major changes will be subject to consultation.

Universal Credit System

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new universal credit on low-income families.

Lord Freud: Universal credit will simplify the benefit system by creating a single, integrated benefit explicitly focused on ensuring that work always pays.
	With a simpler system, households will be more likely to claim their entitlements, and households claiming universal credit will automatically receive all the elements they are entitled to. In part because of this improved take-up, universal credit could lift as many as 350,000 children and 500,000 working-age adults out of poverty, before we consider the positive impact of more people moving into work.
	We would also expect the radical restructuring of the benefits and tax credits system under universal credit to be progressive, providing the most additional support to low-income families.
	Further details are set out in the recently published welfare reform White Paper, Universal Credit: welfare that works, a copy of which is available in the House Library. Chapter 7 of the White Paper provides an assessment of the impact of universal credit, including information on the poverty and distributional impacts.

Vehicles: Electric

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made by the relevant lead departments in pursuing research with the private sector into viable low-cost electric vehicles.

Earl Attlee: In conjunction with the private sector, the Government are pursuing a programme of research to support development of the low-carbon vehicle sector. This programme is managed under the Technology Strategy Board's (TSB's) low carbon vehicles innovation platform, which delivers matched funding to support industry-led research into a range of low-emission technologies.
	Current projects specifically focused on electric vehicle research include: the development of advanced electric power trains; improvements to power electronics and motor control; and the development of prototype electric vans. These, and other projects, are delivering research findings allowing for continued development of this next generation of vehicles.
	A range of academic research, including research commissioned by the Government, suggests that electric cars are a viable proposition now. From January 2011, a number of models will be coming to market that are capable of exceeding motorway speeds and have ranges of up to 100 miles. As levels of global production increase, we expect to see corresponding reductions in prices.